My Wine Education

What are you doing for dinner tonite? How about a Palace Deal?

This was buried in my email and it almost slipped my mind. But then, no kidding, I dreamed of miniature cupcakes and remembered.

For those of you new to the blog, a few months ago the honorable old Palace Restaurant, in the Cincinnatian, started offering sporadic Thursday night deals. (You can read about our own recent experiences at the Palace.)

You see, the Palace has a new Chef, Jose Salazar, as well as my favorite Pastry Chef, Summer Genetti. The two of them are working pretty hard at breathing new life into an old establishment. They've made the food more friendly and approachable and the prices have been lowered a bit. In the midst of that, they've managed to keep the menu creative and at a high quality, using mostly locally sourced ingredients.

And then there are these random Thursday deals that really do qualify as a deal.

For $60 total (excluding tax & tip), you get a huge dinner for two plus a bottle of wine. You usually get to choose from between about 5 or 6 different bottles, all of decent or better than decent calibre. As for those courses, in my experience it's more like 3-courses with bonuses. You'll start the meal with a complimentary amuse bouche and finish the meal with a complimentary dessert. They say it's only the first 10 people who reserve that get free dessert, but they never actually tell you if you're in the first 10. So, no promises on that free dessert, but I bet you get it. There are also complimentary pastries with the check.  All in all, you're getting quite a lot for $60. And no, that's not $60 per person. It's per two-people.

The full menu for tonite is after the jump. Make sure you call ahead to reserve a table, 513.381.3000. Tell them "Wine Girl" sent you.  And folks, I know I promote the Palace pretty heavily. I get nothing out of it - I swear - except maybe a few tasty cupcakes here and there. Mostly I just want to see two young chefs succeed with some great ideas.

Update: I just read on the Palace Facebook page that this deal is now every THIRD Thursday. Hooray! Tonite, they add, Summer is offering 1/2 price desserts, so that dessert might not be tossed into your meal this time, but make sure to try some anyway. If you look through my Palace photos, you'll see that I just love her desserts. And I highly recommend the miniature cupcakes.

Related Posts:

• Photos
• Our Own $60 Dinner at the Palace
• The Palace: $60 Thursday is Back!
• Oh What a Deal! The Palace at the Cincinnatian

Tonight's prix fixe selections include:

They Think You Should Vote Too!

Last evening I received my first ever endorsement on anything. The Cincinnati Women Bloggers chose to endorse my entry for the Really Goode Job contest. I'm thrilled folks!  Actually, the endorsement made me cry, because I'm a sentimental fool.So, thanks ladies! It is greatly appreciated!

Media & Blogger Support

Official Endorsement: Cincinnati Women Bloggers

Wine Me, Dine Me Cincinnati

Hoperatives

CinWeekly Out & About

CinWeekly Guest Post

The Party Source EQ Center

Uncorked: Dayton Daily News Wine Blog

Amy's Table (also included radio plug on WKRQ/Q102)

Bearing Fruit Consulting

Don't forget to vote for our video that's full of local people and local grapes.
http://bit.ly/reallygoodejob  Tell all your friends!

Folks, I'm leaving this as the Featured post through June 26. New posts will appear below this one. On the off chance anyone else chooses to publicly endorse me, I'll add that as well. But generally, I'm leaving it here to remind you to vote!

Cheers,
Michelle

... That's Fit to Print

Today I've got two big things to announce, so we'll start with the new partnership. I'm happy to say I've entered a partnership with Cincinnati.com and the Cincinnati Enquirer as one of the first members of their blogging network.

Julie and I met some folks from Cincinnati.com when we spoke several weeks ago at a Cincinnati Women Bloggers session. Cincinnati.com has been really reaching out to embrace social media in the last two years, and from my perspective, a partnership seems like a great way to drive new traffic. Julie and I will both be featured on the Living, Blogs, and Food pages. We've got other big ideas cooking with Cincinnati.com, so it should be an exciting year.

Now, in case you're worried, I haven't "sold out" to the Enquirer. You'll always find me at wine-girl.net. There's a badge over in the far right column of the site showing that I'm in their blog network, but that's it. That's the only change, except hopefully we'll see more readers and get some more conversations going in the comments.

For readers who are new, you can check out my policies and disclaimers.

•  I'll always let you know when I get a free bottle, meal, or class.
• Getting something free doesn't always mean I'll give it a good review.
• I reserve the right to delete your comments if you are rude or crude or are a spammer.
• I will still write what I want, when I want. Cincinnati.com isn't handing out story ideas or anything.

This is a fun new adventure. I look forward to meeting new readers and continuing the dialog with my loyal readers.

Cheers!

Michelle

Featured Cincinnati Wine Events: May 23-29

Oh my goodness! The Featured Events are back! I even updated the events calendar! I only got through about half of June though, so please send me any events you run across and I'll make sure to add them immediately.

The thing I noticed most is a decrease in one-time events and an uptick in weekly events. This is partially because The Party Source is trying to happily monopolize your week, with a Toast to Tuesdays! (cocktails, starting in June), Wine'd Up Wednesdays, Thirsty Thursdays (beer & burgers), and Sunday Sips (wine)), and classes on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays. I miss the classes spread out through the week, but I like the lower cost - albeit more informal - options they're offering for the summer.

Of course, this weekend there is Taste of Cincinnati. It's the end-all be-all of Cincinnati food festivals and worth your time. I prefer to go on Sunday or Monday afternoons, as there seem to be less people. That said, this year we've got tickets for the Saturday night Reds game, so we're hitting Taste beforehand. If you see us, give us a shout! I guarantee you can find me by the Mecklenburg Gardens creme puffs - yum!

Don't forget that the Ohio wineries officially kick-off their summer tasting season this weekend. We like to start at Kinkead Ridge in Ripley, detour off to Meranda-Nixon and Lakeside Vineyards, then finish the day with music and a picnic at Harmony Hill in Bethel. We've even got a map of all the local wineries. Make sure to double-check with the individual winery web sites to verify tasting room hours.

Finally, if you're a fan of Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel, he'll be participating in the Dancing FOR the Stars benefit on Saturday night. He'll be dancing with a friend of mine, Doreen Beatrice. When I taught lindy hop and swing, I rented studio space from Doreen. I still regularly dance at her Step N Out Studio in Covington, so I just wanted to plug the event to support her and Jean-Robert! Good luck Doreen!  Tickets are still available for the benefit at Music Hall and cost $50.

Other cool events this week include the following:

Saturday, May 23

Taste the HYPE Young Professional Event
Free beer and wine sampling with food and Taste of Cincinnati souvenir mug.
Music by Rusty Griswolds.
Fountain Square
7 pm - 11 pm
$40/couple, $25/single
Registration recommended.

Wednesday, May 27

ABCDEs of Wine Tasting
Taste and rate wines ranging from $10-$30 to find the winners. Paired with food.
The Wine Store
9905 Montgomery Road
6:30 pm
Cincinnati, OH 45242
$40/couple, $25/single
Reservations required.
513.984.9463

Thursday, May 28

Cooking Series @ Vito's Cafe: Cooking with the Chefs
Includes demonstration, tasting, and wine pairing with each course
Vito's Cafe
654 Highland Avenue
Fort Thomas, KY 41075
6 pm
$90 for three classes / $40 per class
Reservations required.
859.442.9444

Friday, May 29

Fashion Friday with Cincy Chic & Tino Vino
Wine, women and fashion from local designers and boutiques.
Tino Vino Vintners
3665 Erie Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45208
6 - 9 pm
For more information: 513.721.2445 or Cincy Chic

Cool Wine and Hot Jazz
Wine tasting, snacks, music, and more. Benefits Ault Park.
Ault Park
3600 Observatory Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45208
$30 pp, 6:30-9:30 pm
Registration required.

Our Own Sin City

Before there was Las Vegas, there was Newport, Ky. No kidding. From spending WAY too much time at York Street Cafe in my life, I knew a lot of the history of that building (speakeasy, hidden safes, etc), but I hadn't realized how real it all was, and how rampant, throughout Newport.

Gangsters everywhere, post-prohibition. Gambling, prostitution, alcohol, casino robberies, murder and tommy guns ... it was all in Newport. 

We got to take the Newport Gangsters tour last night. I loved it!  I knew the history of Prohibition and beer in this area from an article I once wrote. It was nice to see what happened in Newport after Prohibition was repealed and the bootleggers, um, expanded.

I had fun with my new camera. Newport has some great buildings. You can visit the Flickr set or watch the slideshow below.

The tour costs $15 and the proceeds benefit a great local charity where our kids are sent to teach for a week at schools in the Caribbean. It's another great cause. The guys that are running the tour are obviously having a great time - and they're sort of overflowing with facts from their research. In fact, I think their research sort of scares them a little. They talked to a lot of people - a lot of the still living (and still local) gangsters and club owners/partygoers from the era. 

It's worth a few hours of your time. Right now, this weekend is your only chance to experience the fun tour, although they're debating on continuing through the summer, as well as looking into a Haunted Newport Ghost Tour. Go show your support - it's a short walk to and from Newport from Taste of Cincinnat and the tour lasts 90 minutes.

You'll never look at Newport the same way.

Tweeting for a Great Cause

This doesn't have a lot to do with wine. But it does have to do with Taste of Cincinnati, which is how I'm justifying the post. Truthfully, I'm a sucker for a great cause and that's why it's here.

I originally posted this on Bub.blicio.us, a Silicon Valley-based technology blog for which I'm a contributing writer.

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The latest national news out of Cincinnati is what's being billed as The World's Largest Tweet-Up. I'm not sure if that's accurate on a number of levels, but it doesn't matter. It's good marketing for a good cause, and a great example of a non-profit using social media to raise awareness.

Last July, musician Katie Reider passed away at age 30 from a rare form of cancer that attacked the left side of her face. It left her blind in one eye and unable to do what she did best - sing. Katie was a local musician for us, but she'd been on the national scene as well, and was one of those artists spotlighted on WB shows like Dawson's Creek.

500Kin365.org, was created in May of 2008 with the help of Katie Reider's loyal fanbase to reconnect and introduce 500,000 people to Katie Reider, her music and her story over the next year, as she continued to undergo treatment. The site took off, and the goal is to introduce 500,000 people to her music. Two sets of Katie's songs can be downloaded for only $1 each on the site and 100% of the proceeds to go help pay off the family's exorbitant medical bills.

The Palace: $60 Thursday is back!

Ooo! One night only (and of course I'm busy). But you should go. Kevin and I had an amazing meal at the Palace the last two times they offered this deal and you should really treat yourself.

Not long ago, Julie and I got to interview the new Chef at the Palace, and test drive some new desserts for Pastry Chef Extraordinaire Summer Genetti. Chef Jose Salazar has some great ideas for the restaurant. He's lowered the prices and has created an approachable but classy menu. I'm a picky eater, but there is a lot I would eat on that menu. I've embedded a slideshow of some of my more recent visits to the Palace:

And of course, the desserts. Note that in the photos, some of the desserts have eyes. Summer knows I hate to eat things that look at me ... so no worries. You will probably not have cupcakes staring at you. But what good cupcakes they are!

Here's the deal. You and your date each enjoy a two-course meal, plus an amuse bouche to start and mini-pastries that arrive with your check. Dessert was a bonus that seemed to always be wrapped in as well, but no promises on that one. You also get a bottle of wine, and usually there is a decent selection from which to choose. The total - for the two of you and the bottle of wine - is $60, notwithstanding tax and gratuity. Trust me, it's a great opportunity to try a new restaurant that's always been a little intimidating in the past.

I love that this isn't a regular thing, but random and spur-of-the-moment. When you call to make reservations, tell them you read it on Wine-Girl. Reserve your spot by calling 513-381-3000.

The menu for this Thursday night is after the jump:

Harmony Hill Opens This Weekend

I talked about Kinkead Ridge last week and said that as I heard from each winery, I'd let you know their schedule. Looks like this weekend you can go visit Kinkead Ridge and Harmony Hill. I imagine you can throw in a stop at Meranda-Nixon and Lakeside as well.

Harmony Hill has changed their hours to make their weekends a bit more accessible to those of us who aren't morning people. You can now spend your afternoon well into your evening relaxing on their patio with a bottle of wine. Not only is the winery open on Friday evenings, but you can hang out on Saturdays from 2-9 pm. That also applies to Memorial Day and Labor Day Mondays.

Harmony Hill also has live entertainment on the patio sitting atop their wine cave. You can check the musical guests at their new online calendar. The first act plays from 2-5 pm and the "headliner" takes the stage at 5 pm until close.  

As always, Harmony Hill is dog and child friendly. They offer cheese plates, but you're welcome to bring your own picnic lunch and buy a bottle of wine. Don't forget to bring blankets or lawn chairs, as the place can get packed on Friday (and now probably Saturday) nights.

The winery was actually chock full of news in their latest email missive but this might be the best of the news flashes. They're going to be hosting The Market on The Hill - a farmer's market "in the truest sense" - from May 23 through Oct 3. The farmer's market is

... a one-stop shopping destination featuring grass fed beef, Icelandic lamb, free range poultry, eggs, seasonal fresh vegetables, artisan breads, cheeses and of course, wine. Our farmers are proud to offer only home grown, raised and processed food from within a 30 mile radius of Harmony Hill. We are the LOCAL that farmer markets SHOULD be all about. No reselling of bulk produce-yard vegetables here. The market will run every Saturday , rain or shine, from 2-6 on the winery grounds.

Kevin and I will be doing our best to get to Kinkead Ridge, Meranda-Nixon, and end our day at Harmony Hill on either this upcoming Sunday Saturday or Monday. If you see us, make sure to say hello!

'Tis the Season for Ohio Wineries

Kinkead Ridge, 2008

In a few weeks, our Southern Ohio wineries will open for summer business. Kevin and I love to head out to Ripley and visit Kinkead Ridge, then take backroads and swing by Meranda-Nixon, then finish up at Harmony Hill. Harmony Hill has that lovely patio and live music to accompany your wine. It opens for summer on May 22.

Kinkead Ridge re-opens on May 23 and May 25, from 10 am - 6 pm on both days. You can meet winemaker Ron Barrett and taste their 2008 vintage: Viognier-Roussane (my absolute favorite), Revelation blend (Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon), Riesling, and Traminette. They'll also be offering their 2006 River Village Cellars Cabernet Franc. The rest of the reds will be released on Labor Day weekend, Sept 3 and 5.

If you can't make it on May 23 or 25, Kinkead Ridge will be open on Saturdays throughout the summer (a change from last year) from 11 am- 5 pm.

As I get more information from the other local wineries, I'll keep you updated.

Pouring: Hahn SLH Pinot Noir

On Friday and Saturday this week, I'll be hosting a tasting at Liquor Direct. On Friday, you'll find me at the Covington store and on Saturday, I'll be at Fort Thomas. My theme, of sorts, is Spring Wines (or perhaps, Wines That Remind Me of Spring). All week I"ll be posting the tasting notes for some of the wines I'll have on my table. Come out to the tasting this weekend - I'd love to see you  and the tasting is free!
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So, because some of my choices weren't available, we're only going to have one red wine on the table this weekend (but a lot of great whites). If you scorn reds, that's okay. Mike will have a whole slew of them on his table at the opposite store.

Our lone red for this tasting is the Hahn Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir. I think a Pinot is perfect year round, but because it's not as heavy of a red as say a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Zinfandel, Pinot Noir is a pretty good choice for Spring as well.

Back in January, I got to meet Adam Lazarre, former winemaker for Hahn, at The Party Source. I was instantly smitten with the man and his wines, so it was a no-brainer to put one of his amazing Pinot Noirs on my table.

Here are my notes for this particular Pinot from that Party Source event:

Ah, pinot. I love a good pinot noir. According to Lazarre, making the wine is easy - it's growing the grapes that's hard. I think a good pinot noir can be sexy, of all things, and Lazarre's pinots get sexier by the bottle. This one is a blend of four different vineyards. I found the nose to be smoky, with a lot of recessed fruit that was begging to be let out. The taste had a lot of black cherry in it, sort of velvety. I bet this wine would open up even more, given the chance. In my head there was a black cherry in a short skirt, strutting into a smoky bar.

So it's a sexy Pinot, and I bet you'll enjoy it. I hope to see you this weekend!

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Don't forget to buy tickets for the 2nd Annual Krystal Pepper Memorial Scholarship Dinner & Silent Auction. It's April 18, 6-10 pm. Buy Tickets Now.